Will
by Chi no Kaori
Summary: No less could have been expected of her. Kaorucentric.


**Disclaimer: **I have been blessed with many things, but the ownership of Rurouni Kenshin is not one of them.

**AN: **Grr...they messed with my formatting. Not that it makes too much of a difference, really...but if anyone's interested in seeing how it should have looked, it's up on my journal (link's on my profile page).  
The style here's not terribly original, but I wanted to give this a shot.

Set a little before the beginning of the series. I actually squeezed this one out in a hurry. It seems I can only write when I'm supposed to be studying instead...maybe my muse feeds off my guilt?

Thanks to older woman for the read-through. Hope you guys like it. Reviews are loved.

* * *

**Will**

_I will not cower._

"My son, taught by a _girl_?" the man sneers. "I cannot have this." The words sting, but Kaoru has grown used to the pain.

"Forgive me for not seeing how that should make a difference, Hamaguchi-san," she says stiffly. "I believe my father trained me well. I am perfectly capable of teaching Koji." She glances at the young boy standing silently by his father's side.

Hamaguchi Koji is staring at the ground, clearly uncomfortable. He will not speak for her. Kaoru supposes it would be foolish of her to expect him to.

The elder Hamaguchi seems offended by Kaoru's words. "Impudent female," Koji's father hisses. "Women should know their place." He fixes Kaoru with a glare that would have caused many people to wilt.

Kaoru is not one of them. She meets his gaze unflinchingly. She will not back down to the likes of him.

The Hamaguchis leave, and she knows they will never come back. Kaoru re-enters her yard, resisting the urge to slam the gate shut. Another one of her precious students gone.

Making an effort to be gentle, she closes the gate.

Well. What's done is done. She will still get by.

* * *

_I will not be pitied._

"No, Tae-san," Kaoru says, her voice firm. "You've been kind enough, bringing food over to my home. Please, let me pay for it."

_While I still can._

Her thought goes unvoiced, but it seems as if Tae hears anyway. The stubborn set in her friend's jaw fades, and she nods.

She quotes Kaoru a price – a price far too low, Kaoru is certain. But she also knows Tae better than to protest further. Silently, she rummages in her purse for the amount, and presses the money into Tae's reluctant hands.

"Thank you so much, Tae-san. You've been very –" Kaoru tries to bow, but Tae lays a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. The woman stares into Kaoru's eyes, her worried expression making Kaoru uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you will be fine?" This time Kaoru is the one who hears Tae's unspoken words. _With so little to sustain you…_

Kaoru gives her friend a reassuring smile, even as she wonders the same thing.

* * *

_I will not cry._

"I _cannot_ cry," Kaoru snarls. "There's no time for this!"

But the tears continue to fall.

She sits in a corner of the dojo, staring out into the wooden hall. Save for her, it is empty.

Her eyes close, refusing to look any longer.

_What's a dojo without students?!_

She had been expecting – hoping for – their presence. Yuusuke, Ryuutaro, Shinji. And Takeru, and his younger brother Takeshi. But three of them came by earlier, bringing the news Kaoru has been dreading.

No word from Takeru or his brother yet, but their absence tells Kaoru all she needs to know.

_Curse you, Battousai… _

She feels anger welling up inside her. Anger at the parents of her students, for forbidding their children to learn from her. Anger at the killer who had marred – was still marring – the name of her dojo.

Most of all, anger at herself, for allowing it all.

Kaoru rises, and picks up her fallen bokken. With a loud yell, she swings it with all the energy she can muster.

Her cry is unrestrained, but her strike is measured, controlled, and powerful. No less could be expected of her; shihandai of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, and a student of Kamiya Koshijirou.

She maintains her stance, breathing hard. The tears have stopped.

_That's enough._

* * *

_I will not be afraid._

But she is.

It is only understandable. She is a mere kenjutsu instructor – one not fully trained at that. He is a swordsman of legendary skill, and will ruthlessly cut down anyone who stands his way. To him, she would just be one more kill.

She fastens the strip of white cloth around her head, and studies herself in the mirror.

She is afraid. Even her reflection betrays this.

But that will not stop her.

As she steps away from her home, bokken in hand, she glances one last time at the sign by the gate. _Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu Kenjutsu Dojo. _Her father's legacy.

She turns forward, and does not look back.

Some things, she knows, are more important than her life.

_Come out and face me, Battousai._

_I'm ready for you._


End file.
